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THURSDAY
May 6, 1999
SECTION TWO vol 10, no. 89

To print out entire text of Today's issue, print this section as well as SECTION ONE

SIMPLY SHEEN:

The truth shall set you free!

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but the words of Bishop Fulton J. Sheen have been known to launch a thousand images in one's mind, one of the ways this late luminary did so much to evangelize the faith. Because of the urgency of the times and because few there are today who possess the wisdom, simplicity and insight than the late Archbishop who touched millions, we are bringing you daily gems from his writings. The good bishop makes it so simple that we have dubbed this daily series: "SIMPLY SHEEN".

"The avoidance of responsibility only results in tyranny, the abdication of one's free will to another, whether it be to an ideology or a dictator. The only real solution is for those with 'open minds' to close on truth, even though it does involve a change in behavior, for ultimately it is truth, and only truth, which can make them free."

Events that happened this day in Church History

On this day in 1527 the bitter war between Protestant and Catholic reached its crescendo when the Protestant ruler Charles V of Germany attacks Rome, slaying 147 of the elite Swiss Guards and capturing Pope Clement VII, the 219th successor of Peter who would later excommunicate King Henry VIII for his refusal to obey the Church's directive. Charles would imprison the pontiff for over half a year before the Pope would be freed. For other pertinent events throughout the centuries that are memorable in Church history today, click on MILLENNIUM MILESTONES AND MEMORIES

Historical Events in Church Annals for May 6:

1491 B.C.

It was around this time that Moses begins his ascent up Mount Sinai and his inevitable appointment with the Lord to receive the Ten Commandments.

973 A.D.

Birth of the Holy Roman Emperor Henry II son of Otto II during the reign of Pope Benedict VI.

1210 A.D.

The magnificent Cathedral of Rheims in France is destroyed by fire. Arson is suspected but never proven. One year later to the day in 1211 the cornerstone would be laid on complete reconstruction of the new Cathedral of Rheims.

1312 A.D.

Pope Clement V closes the Fifteenth General Council or the Council of Vienne begun in October 1311 in which the Church abolishes the Knights Templar and that all their property be turned over to the Hospitallers who were the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem.

1527 A.D.

The Lutheran army led by the German emperor Charles V sacks Rome, kills 147 of the elite Swiss Guard protecting the pontiff, and captures Pope Clement VII, imprisoning him for six months. Clement, though favored by Charles, opted to throw his support behind Francis I of France and that irked Charles to no end whose conquest ended the High Renaissance in Italy.

1542 A.D.

Saint Francis Xavier arrives in Goa, India in his quest to bring the faith to the Far East.

1998 A.D.

Alois Estermann, his wife Gladys and their purported murderer Cedric Tornay are laid to rest in the second worst catastrophe in Swiss Guard history when there is murder in the Vatican two days prior and the funeral was held on this day last year.

"I solemnly tell you: Fear nothing for I am with you and I am your Food and Strength."

Those words were conveyed by the Lord Jesus on the 13th anniversary of the Anniversary of Medjugorje in 1994 to the Hidden Flower of the Immaculate Heart in Message #510 wherewhen He asks that all heed His Mother Mary's messages and work toward unity rather than dissension. He reiterates how if we are not unified, then we are divided and easy pickings for the evil one. His Blessed Mother prefaces these words two days earlier asking all her little ones if we are truly at peace or are we only going through the motions. How sincere and committed are we to God's Will. That is up to us and because there are so few who respond in kind, Our Lady weeps. For Messages #509 and #510, click on "I SOLEMNLY TELL YOU..."

Messages 509 and 510

Message Five-Hundred-nine, June 23, 1994

(Imparted to the Hidden Flower by the Immaculate Heart of Mary)

Beloved Hidden Flower of my Immaculate Heart, I am with you.

O! How sad is my heart, sorrowful and grief-stricken over the hardness of my little ones' hearts. I weep, for the many who once gave to God their fiat have forgotten their promise. Now they are beguiled by the evil one, the cunning serpent. These are the souls who go about with poison spewing forth from their tongues. The evil one has so blinded them that what they believe to be justifiable is only pride, yes even spiritual pride. These are the souls who now seek the ruin of my chosen messengers and of all my faithful little ones. They go about daily, puffed up by self-righteousness, to destroy all that I have asked for. In their hearts they seek revenge, because their plans, their interpretation of my words is contrary to God's Will. They are, therefore, lost in the mire of satan's wiles. They do not see that their hearts are lacking all mercy and love. They seek to satisfy their human ego, unaware that they gravely offend God and their souls are slowly dying.

I beseech all of my children: Examine your consciences. Are you at peace? Do you truly seek reconciliation with God and with your neighbor? If you do not reconcile in the love and for the love of my Divine Son, you possess not the Spirit of God and are anathema before the Most Blessed Trinity.

To all I solemnly tell you. The time is now, and it is critically short. Do not be proud stubborn children. Do not remain unreconciled, for if you do you will be found wanting at the time of your visitation. If you are truly mine, secure in the Refuge of my Divine Son's Sacred Heart, you will cast off all self-seeking. You will reach out to all in love and be merciful to all.

Those who practice love and mercy in all things have abundant peace and have nothing to fear. Those who speak without love and mercy are hypocrites, and my Son shall bring them to ruin.

Awake now to my call. Love one another as my Divine Son taught you. I love and bless you. Thank you for responding to my Call!

Message Five-Hundred-ten, June 25, 1994

(Imparted to the Hidden Flower by the Sacred and Merciful Heart of Jesus)

(13th Anniversary of the Apparitions at Medjugorje)

But I behold My children in great sorrow and My Sacred Heart is torn asunder, for so very few want My Peace! No, they seek worldly peace, which for them means worldly prosperity, security and a respite from all suffering. To what lengths do My children go to avoid Me, the True Peace and their only Refuge.

I solemnly tell all the world: Heed My Mother's words, for she comes at the Will of the Trinity to announce the end times, and to prepare all for the battle ahead.

If you heed Her words then the Holy Spirit, the Sanctifier shall fill you with great understanding.

I solemnly tell all who thwart My Mother's role, and who thwart the Perfect Will of God: Woe, triple woe! You are a billy-goat, a wolf that devours the pearls of My Mercy and Peace. You shall see the Justice of God and you shall tremble!

To all who truly seek Me and abide with Me because they are meek and humble of heart, I solemnly tell you: Fear nothing for I am with you and I am your Food and Strength.

Let those who have ears hear.

Let those who have eyes see the signs I am giving.

Be humble and meek. Be obedient little children who rely on Me for all things. Then you will have true Peace and My Mother's Heart shall triumph.

Behold, the hour of great strife has already dawned. Great shall be mankind's sufferings. Come to Me, all who are meek and humble, and take comfort from My Sacred Heart.

I love you. I bless you. Prepare, for the hour is at hand!

DAILY LITURGY

Today we observe the Fifth Thursday of Easter and tomorrow the Fifth Friday of Easter and FIRST FRIDAY of May. For the readings, liturgies and meditations, click on DAILY LITURGY.

WORLDWIDE NEWS & VIEWS with a Catholic slant

HEADLINES:

Holy Father addresses Armenian bishops amid speculation of papal visit to Armenia in July

During his regular Wednesday Papal Audience at Paul VI Hall, the Holy Father singled out the Armenian Catholic bishops in Rome for a synod, specifically addressing the Patriarch of the Armenian Catholic Church Jean-Pierre XVIII. While the Vatican remains mum on the tentative plans in early July this year for the Holy Father to visit Armenia, those in the Eastern Catholic churches and parishes are already making preparations as if it were a fait accomplis. For more, click on Armenia.

HOLY FATHER GREETS ARMENIAN CATHOLIC BISHOPS GATHERED IN SYNOD

VATICAN CITY (CWNews.com) - Pope John Paul II on Wednesday
during his general audience addressed a special greeting to
bishops of the Armenian Catholic Church, who are currently
gathered in a synod at the Vatican on questions related to
the life of their communities.

The Holy Father expressed a greeting in particular to the
Patriarch of Cilicia of the Armenians, His Beatitude
Jean-Pierre XVIII, and called on the bishops to have "a new
apostolic spirit" on the occasion of the 1,700th anniversary
of the evangelization of Armenia, begun in 301 by Gregory
the Illuminator. The Church is "grateful" to the Armenian
people, affirmed the Pope, "for their faithful witness to
Christ."

The Armenian Catholic Church, which dates from the 18th
century, has its patriarchal see in Beirut, Lebanon and
includes some 250,000 people in Armenia, in Lebanon, and in
Syria. On the other hand, the Armenian Apostolic Church --
separated from Rome -- accounts for approximately 3.5
million faithful in Armenia, with other significant
communities in Russia, in Georgia, the Middle East, in
America, and in Europe. The Apostolic Church is independent
of the other Orthodox Churches, and split from Rome in the
year 506 when an Armenian synod rejected the conclusions of
the Council of Chalcedon in 451.

Although the Vatican has still not given official
confirmation of a trip by the Holy Father to Armenia from
July 2-4, 1999, preparations are already underway at the
Congregation of the Eastern Churches.

Pope hopes to stop culture of death agenda by holding developed rich nations to pact agreed to at Cairo

The successful stand waged by Pope John Paul II and the alliance with third world countries to solidly defeat abortion measures at the Cairo Conference in 1994 still sticks in the craw of some rich, advanced nations such as the United States. So it comes as no surprise that they are making a concerted effort to undermine what was passed there and rewrite the script to better fit the culture of death agenda but the Holy Father is wise to their wily, deceitful ways. He spoke out strongly against any attempts to change the decrees of Cairo which are feared during meetings this week in New York where pro-aborts are striving to write in abortion clauses. For more, click on UNfair UN

RICH NATIONS MUST RESPECT SIGNED AGREEMENTS

Pope denounces attempts to violate Cairo Conference

VATICAN CITY, MAY 5 (ZENIT).- This morning John Paul II publicly expressed
his concern over attempts by some countries to violate the commitments
adopted by the international community in the Cairo World Conference on
Population and Development organized by the United Nations in 1994.

At the end of his audience with 12,000 faithful in the Vatican Paul VI Hall,
the Pontiff referred to the informal meeting which is taking place at the
U.N. headquarters in New York from May 5-7, to try to overcome the
disagreements which emerged during the last week of March among the
delegations of the different countries, when it came to writing a joint
document reviewing the commitments made at the Cairo summit.

During the March meeting, which was also held in New York, the Holy See
insisted on making its voice heard regarding the commitments signed in 1994.
Some European delegations, as well as that of the United States, tried to
add to the text the so-called "right to reproductive health," whose
objective is to introduce abortion and different methods of contraception as
a means of controlling population growth. With this measure, the rich
nations hope to impose these practices on nations where abortion is illegal.
The Vatican received the support of the so-called "Group of 77" countries;
in general, these are poor countries.

Already at the Cairo Conference, the Pope said today, "the Holy See insisted
on the human person being placed at the center of any development program.
This implies that the solution of problems relating to population must
respect the dignity of every human being and, at the same time, promote his
fundamental rights, among which is, in the first place, the right to life.
To this must be added the right to health and education, involving the
family in its irreplaceable role as the institution upholding human,
spiritual and moral values."

The Pope concluded by insisting that "five years after the international
Conference on population and development, the governments must renew their
signed commitments to insure a real and lasting human development."

Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO's) have revealed that some
organizations at this informal U.N. session are placing impediments for the
accreditation of other organizations which are not in agreement with the
official U.N. line. The same thing happened during The Hague meeting in
February, where the participation of NGO's was greatly restricted because
they were not in agreement with the line of the U.N. Population Fund.
ZE99050508

South America is known for its Amazon women who have been known to take men by force, but in Peru it's a different story where a priest, ordered by his bishop to transfer, has been kidnapped by the stubborn women of the parish and held captive until the bishop relaxes his order and allows him to stay. Talk about forcing the obedience issue. For more, click on Peruvian parish power-play high on estrogen.

PERU WOMEN KIDNAP PRIEST TO PREVENT TRANSFER

LIMA (CWNews.com) - A group of women in a remote Andean
village kidnapped their parish priest on Sunday to prevent
his transfer, but released him on Tuesday after agreeing to
a settlement.

Father Julian Parque was celebrating his final Mass in the
village of Mejia when he was abducted by the women. After a
48-hour standoff with police, the women agreed to release
the priest when the bishop agreed to extend his time in the
village for another month.

Negotiations were expected to continue over further
extending the deadline for Father Parque to leave his post.

One year anniversary of Swiss Guard tragedy provides platform for new reforms requested by Holy Father

To commemorate the first year anniversary of the terrible tragedy that took the life of two Swiss Guards and the commandant's wife and the 496th anniversary of the founding of the Swiss Guard, the Holy Father has personally requested that reforms be introduced to better evaluate candidates for this elite corps, including psychological testing to hopefully prevent any recurring violence like happened last year. For more, click on Swiss Guard reforms.

SWISS GUARD REFORMS

On first anniversary of Commander's murder

VATICAN CITY, MAY 5 (ZENIT).- A year after the murder of Swiss Guard
Commander Alois Estermann, and his wife, Gladys Meza, and the suicide of the
murderer, Cedric Tornay, the Swiss Guard is being reformed at the request
of the Holy Father himself.

Tomorrow, 35 new recruits will be sworn in. At the same time, three
documents will be published establishing new norms which will govern
discipline in the Corps. Among other things, there is a change in the
criteria for recruitment. Special attention will be given to psychological
requirements. Candidates will be administered a professional examination.
New directives will be given, which will cover honors and promotions.

The Swiss Guard is the oldest army in the world. It was established by Pope
Julius II in 1503. Its feast day is May 6. On that day, in 1527, the Guards
gave proof of heroism by sacrificing their lives in defense of the Pope
during the sacking of Rome by the imperial forces of Charles I of Spain.
These historic origins, according to Pius Segmuller, Estermann's successor,
are the reason why changes are "slow, so as not to destroy important
traditions." The reform will also institutionalize contacts with the Swiss
army and police.

The Swiss Guard has taken advantage of its feast day to inaugurate a new
site on
Internet at http://www.vatican/curia_romana/guardia_svizzera
ZE99050505

For more headlines and articles, we suggest you go to the Catholic World News site at the
CWN home page and Church News at Noticias Eclesiales and Daily Dispatches, Dossiers and Features from ZENIT International News Agency. CWN, NE and ZENIT are not affiliated with the Daily CATHOLIC but provide this service via e-mail to the Daily CATHOLIC Monday through Friday.

CATHOLIC CANVAS

Daily Dose of curious contents of the Church:

Council of Vienne

On this date in 1312, Pope Clement V, the 195th successor of Peter, officially closed the Fifteenth Ecumenical Council at Vienne in France. Clement was the first to willingly submit to the Avignon Exile, better known as the Babylonian Captivity of the Church when Clement agreed to be consecrated at Lyons in France in 1305 under the influence of King Philip IV who had fixed the residence of the Holy See at Avignon after bitter squabbling with the two pontiffs before him, specifically Pope Boniface VIII. The Council of Vienne settled various reforms and also disbanded the Knights Templar, bequeathing all their property to the Knights Hospitallers of St. John which are very loyal to Holy Mother Church today. The Knights Templar? They withdrew into oblivion for a while only to rise their ugly head in the form of Freemasonry some three centuries later and become a scourge of the Church. Also condemned were the Fratricelli, Apostolicals, Beghards, and Beguines, associations which, though originally formed with pious and charitable intentions like the Templars, fell into excesses and even into heresy. There were 132 bishops who attended, one of the least attended of the Ecumenical councils and there were three sessions which began on October 16, 1311 and ended on May 6, 1312. Philip had promised to undertake another crusade to the Holy Lands, pledging this at the Council but it was just rhetoric and never took effect. For more on this Fifteenth Ecumenical Council at Vienne, we recommend NEW ADVENT CATHOLIC SUPERSITE (sources: Cabinet of Catholic Information, Duggan Publishing Co.; The Glories and Triumphs of the Catholic Church, Benziger Brothers; 1999 Catholic Almanac, Our Sunday Visitor).

SITE OF THE DAY

Tying in with Pope Saint Pius V's encyclical Quo Primum we bring you a site providing all the documents and counter reforms passed at Trent in the COUNCIL OF TRENT DECREES site, maintained by Hanover College, a liberal arts institution in Indiana.